Turmoil
by MysticRyter
Summary: She knew there was nothing wrong with her, she was just doing her job. She was told there was always something wrong with them. Then her eyes opened up, and she wasn't so sure anymore. Eventual Chase/OC.
1. In the Night

She hardly got recon missions. Those were slow, and hardly eventful. She was grateful, since she was so freaking sore from training the past couple weeks. Training had gotten more intensive, and she was glad she came back to a recon mission. She could infiltrate, and she could take people out, but she refused to kill. She refused to come back home to whispers of guilt and wake up to eyes of a killer in the morning.

As she dashed from rooftop to rooftop, she slipped her goggles on, switching the mode to night vision instantly.

She jumped from the roof, the wind like a caress. She landed softly, about as obvious as the night breeze tickling the bush leaves. Squinting slightly, she adjusted her goggles, zooming in on the scene with a binocular function.

Aside from the size, the Davenport household was like any other: mom cooking something, four kids gathered around a table, and a busybody dad no where to be found. They were laughing, smiling. Tory felt a pang in her gut, and it definitely wasn't from the sight of that chicken alfredo.

Tearing her eyes from the scene, she grabbed a black cylinder from her belt. It snapped open into a clean ninety degree angle, veins light blue leaving a trail from the barrel to the handgrip before fading to a clean black. It was for flare, she supposed. the grappling hook grabbed the side of a streetlight, and she used it to bound from roof to roof.

Once she got out of the rich people district, she exhaled a sigh of relief, but she had no idea what for. She didn't know any of them, not personally. She read the reports and she analyzed the people, but . . .

She shook her head, coming to a stop at her front door. She took a deep breath before stopping herself. Who the heck gets nervous at the sight of their front door? Her hand was inches from the knob before it swung open, revealing her brother.

"Hey sis! You're late," he opened the door wider, stepping aside to let her in. He was already in briefs and a tee. "You should probably shower and change. Dad made hot cocoa for debriefing."

Tory nodded, yawning. "Yeah, okay. Whatever."

Marcus wasn't really her brother, and she knew that. He adopted, and so was she. She was picked up at the age of five. She didn't really remember much, even though that was only ten years ago. She remember a car crash, a fire, a few days at an orphanage, and an adoptive father. Several months later, along came Marcus, who was her age, and was in on the _thing._

The thing wasn't a huge deal. Her dad had a huge beef with another guy, who happened to be world-famous inventor, blah blah blah. And it was an excuse for her to exercise some mild form of juvenile delinquency, so why not? A frown crossed her mind and a shadow flitted across her face as she thought of the infiltration missions, then shook her head. That wasn't important.

Her dad was in the kitchen. He was an eccentric guy, and really supportive of all the things Tory and Marcus decided to pursue in school. Unless it was the unholy trifecta: drugs, sex, and alcohol. Then _ooh boy_, things got intense.

Douglas Henderson was leaning against the kitchen counter, and eyebrow raised and a playful smirk on his lips.

"Aw, c'mon Tory! Your cocoa's almost cold!"

Tory rolled her eyes, black hair spraying droplets as she spun around grab the mug, setting the microwave to a minute. "These things exist for a reason you know."

But she was smiling anyway.

It was decided: she and Marcus would be attending school to keep an eye on their marks: Adam, Bree, and Chase.

* * *

**So yeah, pretty short, but when we start hitting the episodes, stuff will go from zero to a thousand REAL quick.**

**I know I've kind of made it clear that morally, Tory is kind of ambiguous, and it'll become obvious why later.**

**So thanks for reading, and I'd love it if you guys left a review! :D**


	2. Lion's Den

**So I was able to update pretty quickly, eh? **

**I want to thank everyone who reviewed, and all the support I've gotten so far means so much to me.**

* * *

Normally, Tory and Marcus were homeschooled, and with their dad in charge of their curriculum, it seemed they were ahead in math and science, and were a little behind in English and history. Well, only her maybe. Marcus seemed to know freaking everything. He never had to study, and if she asked for the molecular formula of cortisone, he wouldn't even have to blink. It was so unfair.

Of course, now they were heading back to school. A real, actual public school. A real actual public high school that, if they were anything like how they were portrayed in any teen drama ever, a cesspool serving only to drag down one's self-esteem. she wasn't sure whether that was an accurate assessment or not.

They had a plan to scope out the bionics. Adam usually hung out with Chase, and it was easy to tell who was who. Adam: tall, pretty stupid, but Tory supposed his heart was in the right place most of the time. Chase was the guy who didn't even bother to raise his hand, because he could blurt out the answer in his sleep, and it would _always _be right. Tory figured being right all the time would be hard; having all the teachers under your thumb could lead to resentment pretty quick. Bree was the only girl, and while she hung out with her brothers from time to time, she tended to leave them for a party or whatever.

The only outlier was Leo. He wasn't bionic, and he wasn't even blood related to the rest of the bionics. His mom was a news reporter, and a pretty obscure one at that. Donald Davenport was his _stepdad_. How Tasha Dooley won the heart of that guy, that was also a mystery. Tory thought back to her previous times scoping out the Davenport household; maybe it was Donald that won _her_ heart.

Then how did they meet? Oh wait, online dating was a thing.

She was snapped out of her stupor by snapping (haha) fingers in front of her nose. Tory figured the look on her face must've been pretty interesting, hence Marcus's _shit-eating _grin.

"Seriously?" She quirked an eyebrow.

"What?" He quirked his own eyebrow, and it was game over. Aside from his memory, and among other things, that guy's eyebrow game was way too freaking strong. "You looked like you wanted to vaporize that toast. What did it ever do to you?"

Tory shrugged, gaze flicking to a guitar case in Marcus's hand. "What's up with that?"

"_This_," he patted it fondly, like it was a dog. "Is a ticket to the fast lane for establishing contact. Guaranteed. As much as Dad tweaked out schedules, we're not sure if we have all of our classes with any of the three. So, if we have a free period together, or we can get them after school."

Tory nodded. "Sounds like a plan. You need an amp?"

"Nah, I can just snag one from the band room." He nodded at Tory's jacket, where there was a slight bulge. "You got your stun gun?"

Cue a snort. "Of course. In it's compact form, but whatever."

Marcus walked over to the cabinet, filling up a glass with orange juice just as Douglas was heading down the stairs. His hair was disheveled, he was wearing a gray tee and sweatpants, and still groggy as he put coffee on.

"Did you just wake up?" If Tory didn't know the guy, then she would have bothered to sound exasperated. Instead, she settled for bemused.

"Yep." He was surprisingly lucid for a guy who preferred his mornings toward ten. "So, you kids got a game plan?"

"I do!" Marcus chirped from behind the fridge door, shutting it closed. Douglas's landed on the guitar on the table, and he nodded.

"Good call, Marcus. What about you Tory?"

She shrugged. "It's the first day of school. Neither of us have any idea of what our schedules are like, since that principal was a freaking _hellion. _There's too many variables to account for to guarantee a favorable outcome the first time around." As her diction shifted, her tone became clipped, and she shook her head. "We have the entire rest of the school year anyway."

Douglas's face shifted into something of a pout.

"We'll try to get them as soon as possible, Dad," Marcus assured him, glancing at the clock before locking eyes with Tory.

She got the message, slinging her backpack over her shoulders as Marcus grabbed his guitar, and headed out the door.

Unlike the Davenports, they weren't far away from the school, it was basically a ten minute walk. There wasn't much to talk about. It wasn't that they were awkward with each other, far from it actually. Whenever there was a lull in the conversation, Tory stared at the ground, glancing up and to the side periodically. You never know when you'll find a five dollar bill on the ground. Marcus, on the other hand, stared straight ahead.

They weren't worried about getting lost. She went on too many recon missions around town to not have the better part of Mission Creek ingrained in her mind. Marcus just had to glance at Google Earth to remember every alley, every mailbox, every freaking dumpster.

So unfair.

It wasn't terribly early, and it was hard to miss the teens filing in through the front door. Following the rapid, it wasn't hard to miss the principal's office. It was tiny. Wrinkling her nose, Tory guessed it was because she was hardly in it. How was she a principal if her hobby was harassing the student body?

Exchanging a look, the two braved the belly of the beast. Screw earning the bionics' trust, _this_ was terrifying as hell.

Principal Perry was a squat woman, built like a garden gnome. Or a marshmallow. She had a curly mop of hair that resembled mold she found on lasagna from cleaning out the fridge once. She shuddered. Never again.

Perry had two manila envelopes, one labeled "Marcus Henderson" and the other "Victoria Henderson." More accurately, she had them on her desk; she was sleeping, and Tory could see light reflecting off drool on the corner of her mouth.

Tory shrugged. If they didn't have to deal with the woman, she'd take it. The two snatched their respective folders, and were barely out the door.

"WHAT DO YOU TWO DELINQUENTS THINK YOU'RE DOING?"

Marcus fumbled, flinching, almost dropping his guitar. Tory's grip on her backpack straps tightened, and her eye twitched.

Tory held up her folder, flipping her black plait over her shoulder. "Getting our schedules. What else? It's not like you have anything else we want." It was a borderline snap, and far too curt for a good impression.

Whatever. The woman wasn't worth the effort.

From the corner of her vision, she saw Marcus wince a bit, and felt his hand on her wrist. Her free hand had slipped into her pocket, closing around her stun gun. Okay, so she had no qualms being snappish to the most intimidating adult figure ever, but if she shot the same person with enough electricity to knock them out?

Haha, no.

Perry's eyes narrowed behind equally narrow glasses. "So someone hasn't had their Starbucks today. I'll let you off today, since you're obviously fresh out of juvie, but I won't hesitate to put you in _DETENTION_." As the woman continued to speak, she got louder and louder until Tory was sure it qualified as yelling. Her eardrums were vibrating, and Marcus was blinking hard, shaking his head slightly. "You." She jabbed a finger at Marcus. "You look responsible. Keep your sister out of trouble."

He nodded. "Of course. C'mon Tory, we got classes to find. Not to mention lockers."

Tory hummed in response, only half listening to the rest of Perry's deal as they headed out the door.

_"AND PUT THE GUITAR AWAY BEFORE I TAKE IT AWAY!"_

As soon as Marcus dragged Tory out of earshot, he set the guitar case on the ground, shaking the girl by the shoulders. "What the hell were you thinking?"

She gave him an exasperated look as a few students gave them curious looks. "I wasn't?"

"Well ain't that a first?"

She shrugged Marcus's hands off. "That woman makes me mad."

"Yeah well," he held up his hands, palms out. "I can't believe I'm saying this, but calm down before you blow it. For the both of us."

Tory heaved a sigh. She knew she was acting a little off-no, she definitely wasn't acting. She was off, in every way possible. But then again, this was an infiltration mission of the biggest kind. Maybe it was just nerves.

"Okay. Okay-" she twirled locks of her bangs before tucking them behind her ears. "I'm calm. I'm totally calm. Let's do this."

Marcus nodded, picking up his guitar again. "I'm heading to the band room then. What's your first hour?"

Thumbing her folder open, she skimmed the paper. "English. Room nine twenty-three."

"That's upstairs." Marcus ran a hand through his hair. "Not a great start, but it's not unmanageable." He walked back over, looking over his schedule. We've got our free hour and lunch together, and they're back to back. After that, we've got history together . . . and math. Calculus. Yay." Finished with a sarcastic fist pump.

"Yeah . . ." Tory drawled. "Just what I hoped for."

It wasn't the most desirable situation, but it could be a whole lot worse. Some missions they double-teamed, others they were on their own. That was just how it was.

Stopping at locker 284, she stuffed the spare binders and notebooks that she wouldn't need till later. A glance at the map showed her that she could get by with only having four classes worth of supplies and swap for the rest after lunch. She wasn't complaining.

Room 923 was upstairs, following a lovely stretch of window. It would've been even lovelier if the sun wasn't pouring and burning Tory's eyeballs with the hatred of a toddler without a toy, but she also wasn't one of the people who could function at an ungodly hour without caffeine. She might be trained in combat and special ops and whatever, but enduring the full force of the sun? No thank you.

It was a clean twenty minutes before school would start, and hardly anyone was at their classroom already. Any teen that was here was mingling in a cluster around the school. She opened the door, and she could feel the teacher's attention snap to her before his eyebrows furrowed slightly.

"Uh . . . hi," Tory allowed herself a sheepish smile. "I'm new." She gestured to the manila folder in her hand. "I mean, I guess that was obvious since you probably haven't seen me before." Internally, she winced. She could get into character, but she certainly didn't want to be remembered as freakishly awkward. She'd allow herself to be a bit selfish this time around. "Sorry. I mean, I'm _new_ new. I've been homeschooled up until now so . . . yeah."

The teacher nodded understandingly, to her relief, glancing at the name on her file. "Well Victoria-"

"Tory," she blurted. "It's Tory."

Cue another nod. "Of course, Tory. Is that with an y?"

She bobbed her head, her braid thumping softly against her shoulder blades. "Yup."

"I'm Mr. Thompson. And welcome to Mission High."

"Thanks. I didn't exactly get that impression from my welcoming party." She winced. "But don't tell her that."

To her surprise, Thompson let out a good-natured laugh. "I don't plan to." He pulled out his seating chart. "I don't have a lot of empty seats in the front."

It was now that Tory chose to glance over her shoulder, her gut twisting as she saw one of her marks: Chase, sitting in the back. She glanced back quickly, hoping it would come off as awkward embarrassment instead of recognition.

"I don't have a problem with the back."

Thompson gave her a curious look before scribbling her name down next to Chase's. "Gotcha. And you're set."

Tory gave another nod as she made her way to the back, plopping in the seat next to Chase. Being the only other person in the room, she wasn't surprised when she found him staring.

"Uh. . ." she gave a small wave. "Hey there."

He nodded slowly, blinking a bit, like he couldn't believe she was talking to him. "'Sup."

She pressed her lips into a thin line, copying his slow nod. It wasn't like she had anything to contribute to a nonexistent conversation. "So . . ."

"So you're new. Totally, completely new." Chase sat up straight, hazel eyes peaked with interest. "What's it like so far?"

Tory shrugged, falling into his rhythm. "It's not exactly like what teen dramas taught me. It's a bit better, actually."

"Except Perry." He gave her a pointed look, but he had an easy smile on his face.

"Yeah, for sure. I barely met her, and I already pissed her off with my first conversation."

Chase shrugged. "My siblings and I have done worse. She has a soft spot for our football team, and my c-" he blanched for a second freezing up. Inwardly, Tory smiled to herself. For the biggest mission of her life, it was smooth sailing so far. "Well, let's just say I had a freak out. It was bad."

"Like, I got called on the teacher and don't know the answer bad?" Framed sentence? On point.

"Uh, no. That wouldn't happen. Not to me, anyway. She made my siblings and I play a 'no rules' football game against varsity. And learning every fine detail and fine print about a sport that involves shoving a ball down peoples' throats isn't exactly high on our list of priorities."

Tory snorted. "I'm pretty sure that's not how football works. Not American football anyway, but it's still really, uh . . ."

"Dumb? Mind-numbing?"

Tory nodded. "Those would be a few I'd choose to fill in the blank."

She had her mouth open to ask a few more questions, get him to open up a bit more, but the bell rang, and she noticed that almost every seat in the classroom was filled, with some of the students glancing at her curiously. It was standard protocol from there: the teacher introduced her, they read a passage from some classic novel, and analyzed the significance of various uses of figurative language, syntax devices, et cetera.

Tory didn't want to say she was bored, but English definitely wasn't her favorite subject. Maybe she was biased, but she kind of wished she was in chem. And was for one reason only: combustion reactions. Those were really freaking fun. And maybe it was a good thing she wasn't bionic, or she'd fry her copy of _Romeo and Juliet_.

Boom, chemistry.

She heard a snort to her left and raised an eyebrow, turning to Chase. "What?"

"Your face. It's like you're trying to, I don't know, vaporize your book."

_He better not be able to read minds. _"I'm not really a fan of English. Try science." _HOLY SHIT GET OUT OF MY HEAD_.

If really was able to read minds, he didn't show it. Maybe despite his previous slip up, he was a damn good actor. Or maybe she was just being paranoid.

Either way, talking with him behind the teacher's back was better than watching minutes eek by. It was her first day of school, and at this rate, maybe it _would_ turn out to be like some D grade teen drama. _Oh please no_.

With that in mind, she found herself falling into hushed conversation with Chase, and wasn't really making an effort to get information out of him. Then the hands on the clock seemed to move a little faster but stayed still, all at the same time.

Tory blinked as everyone else began to pack up their stuff, and filed out the door. Had time really passed by that quickly? Muttering to herself, she shoved her stuff in her backpack, keeping her eyes on her map. Next was chem, and that was all the way across the school.

Great.

Her head snapped up as she heard someone call her name and spun around, tracking the source. It was Chase, and from the looks of it, he was trying to catch up to her.

It was almost too easy. Maybe this wasn't the hardest mission after all.

* * *

**So, this is the beginning of the events of "Concert in a Can." I'm going to try and split up episodes so dialogue and events still follow the episode, but allow me to explore and build relations between Tory and everyone else, and explore the character of Tory herself. Now, onto replies!**

**SociallyImpairedFangirl: I'm glad you like it!**

**TheMichiganWriter: So do I. I'm kind of writing on the fly, so I know in my head what happens, but I don't have it drafted and outlined yet until I sit down and type.**

**daphrose: Thank you for your support! I've read a lot of Chase/OC fics, but in my opinion, letting the OC in on the bionic secret wasn't something that would realistically happen quickly, so I let her know in a different kind of way, and a different approach to an evolving relationship. This one will definitely be a slow burn.**


	3. Of Shadows and Masks

**Wow, so this came bit late. Whoops. Schedule info at chapter end. Thanks for sticking with me guys!**

* * *

Chemistry went by like a combustion reaction. As much as she loved the subject, she couldn't help but glance at the clock every other second. She knew everything the teacher was talking about already, and when he called her out on glancing at the clock, she was happy to give him calculations on moles-something they wouldn't get into till well into second semester.

He left her alone after that. Too bad no one else did: it kind of became clear that she was the go-to girl for this type of thing.

The bell couldn't have possibly come enough. She was the first out the door, and the last to look back. Especially when she saw the face of Bree Davenport in her next class: history. Also not a favorite class, but as with Chase, Tory eased into a conversation. Bree seemed more than willing to gossip with Tory about her brothers, and Tory made sure to file away every detail for later. She wasn't sure if any of it was going to come in handy, but the thought of Adam Davenport having a habit of putting his underwear over his jeans was pretty funny. Tory couldn't say she was surprised, but she could say she snorted, earning a stern look from the teacher and whispers from the class.

She gave an apologetic look to the bionic girl who only shrugged. She tapped her notebook paper with a mechanical pencil, and an as easily manufactured nail. Tory blinked; she had seen their bionics in action, but she couldn't say she wasn't surprised when Bree had all of her notes done when everyone else was still scribbling the first bullet.

"How . . .?"

The brunette smirked. "It's a gift."

As the bell signifying the end of history sounded, Tory fought the current of students to get back at her locker. And Marcus, because she had so much to talk to him about. She only talked to a couple of the bionics (she wasn't sure what she would do with Leo. Or Adam, if she was being honest), and they had already dropped hints that they were bionic. Anyone who didn't know anything about them probably shrugged it off, or missed it entirely. As for Tory, she knew she was on the right trail.

She got to her locker, swapping out her supplies before looking for Marcus. As it turned out, she didn't have to. The guy was standing on the top of the circular bench thingies in the middle of the hall, his guitar hooked up to an amp he must've snatched from the band room as well. Adam was sitting next to him, and Chase had his arms crossed as Marcus ripped out a chord. How Perry missed this, Tory would never know.

Marcus ended the chord with a flourish, and Adam was bouncing up and down as Marcus settled back down into sitting position. Chase had his arms dropped to his side, and Tory took the liberty to lightly punch him as she walked up.

"'Sup," it was a single word of many, but Tory wasn't ever one to doubt their power. Chase had jumped slightly when she punched him, but now he had turned to face her fully, a grin on her face. Yup, words.

"Hey Tory," Chase greeted. His grin was still there, and out of the corner of her eye, Tory saw Marcus's stupid smug little smirk. "Awesome guitar skills, am I right?"

"Oh yeah!" Adam piped up, drumming his hands on his thighs. "Did you see his tiny little fingers go? It's like they've all got a tiny little brain of their own!"

Marcus's expression shifted into that of "Wait, what?" before he fell into an easy smile. Chase caught it, since he was next to her, and Tory saw a flicker of movement: he shook his head.

"Thanks," Marcus voice cracked a bit at the end, like he wanted to phrase it like a question. "You know, you guys are the only people who've talked to me and my sister at the school?"

"Wait," Adam's eyebrow knit in confusion, jabbing a finger towards Tory. "You have a sister? I thought she was your girlfriend!"

Chase rolled his eyes. "They're twins."

"_Actually_," Tory started. Marcus cut her off with a look. No, apparently they weren't going to say they were adopted. Probably the most annoying thing was not setting their details of their cover beforehand. God.

"Yeah, we are twins." Marcus said. Both Hendersons eyed the bionics carefully, particularly Chase. Adam was oblivious, and Chase nodded; he missed their silent exchange. "I _hate_ being the new kid."

Way to change the subject. Real freaking subtle, Marcus.

This time, it was Chase that furrowed his brow. "I thought you guys were homeschooled?"

"Well yeah," Tory said easily. "But we've been exposed to D grade stereotypical high school teen dramas, am I right?"

Marcus nodded, and he looked pretty grateful. It wasn't often that he was at a loss of words.

"Yeah," Chase drawled. "We used to be the new kids that no one talked to." He stopped for a moment, a blank stare of contemplation showing. "Now we're just the vaguely familiar kids that no one talked to."

Tory patted his shoulder as Adam held his hand up to high five his brother. And was rejected. "Don't worry," she said. "We could start a club. Get t-shirts, the whole shbang."

"What's up peeps?" A new cut into the conversation, and Tory whirled around with the speed of a cyclone, relaxing when it was only Leo. "What's the dealio?"

_Oh jeez, make him stop._

"Hi! I'm Marcus," he had a friendly grin, his hand extended in a handshake.

"I know," Leo said, fixing an odd stare. Instead of taking the handshake, he went for the fist bump, which Marcus obliged. "We have gym together. And study hall. And also chemistry."

Tory's eyes widened slightly. Had Marcus _really _dropped the ball? Sure seemed like it. Marcus only gave the guy a confused stare. Props to him for maintaining composure.

"We're _lab partners_."

_Jesus freaking Christ._

"Oh! I did not know that." His words came out robotic and stiff, but Marcus as soon as he dropped the ball, he picked it up, and sent it rolling for a strike. "Chase, you ever play guitar?"

"N-No, but I've always wanted to." He was shaking his head earnestly. Tory smiled.

"I'm a jammer as well," Leo interjected. He scrambled to keep his coolness as the other four gave him a judging stare, and boy did they deliver. "My rocking is only eclipsed by my rolling."

"Leo," The single word Chase spoke oozed of exasperation, with a hint of actual smug superiority. "Your mom said you played the clarinet for three weeks until you swallowed the reed."

"I passed it!"

Glancing at the other guys, Tory found herself agreeing with Adam, or more accurately, the look on his face. _Ew_.

"Dude," Tory said. "One of these days, you're gonna knock over liquid potassium chlorate, and it's gonna get _all over_ you."

Chase snorted, before letting out something like a giggle. "That was a good one!"

Adam only gave them a blank stare, while Marcus rolled his eyes. "Nerd," he mumbled.

"Here Chase, you wanna give it a go?" Tory had to thank Marcus. Not only did he change the subject (which she was sure everyone else was thankful for), he got back to the job. She really had to hand it to him.

"Y-Yeah, sure! Why not?" A grin had took over his face as he took the guitar, the pick in his rightnhand. As soon as he was situated, he froze. It wasn't that he was nervous, he just blanked out, spacing out, but at the same time it was like he was focusing on something. It was hard to tell, but his look was definitely intense..

And then he ripped out a freaking chord. It was so freaking epic. Tory felt her jaw drop. The chord started off simple, and then things got crazy. He did a rock star slide on his knees, fingers dancing. Adam's jaw dropped, and he looked at Marcus for an explanation, but he had his chin resting in the palm of his hand. Leo didn't look much different from Adam. And then Chase _really_ went crazy.

Somehow, Chase managed to get on his side, kind of running in place, still ripping a chord.

The thoughtful look on Marcus's face was gone, his hands grasping the edges of the bench, his jaw slack. Leo didn't look much different, though his eyes bugged out like one of those squishy toy things. Adam had a huge, goofy grin on his face, though Tory couldn't say that was any different from any other time she saw him. As for Tory herself, she had to lumber her jaw a bit, make sure she wasn't drooling.

Somehow, Chase managed to slide himself into a sitting position. As soon as it dawned on him that he was on the floor, the rock star glazed over look in his eyes melted, leaving someone in a stupor. And when _that_ subsided, it left a very confused looking Chase Davenport.

No, he wasn't confused. Confusion meant they had no idea what just happened, or how it happened. Chase on the other, the look in his eyes, it was like realization. he knew _exactly_ what happened, and why.

He got up quickly, kind of scrambling up while keeping a grip on Marcus's guitar and the pick.

"Uh . . ." he started backing up to his original position. "What do you know?" Quickly, jerkily, he handed the guitar back to its owner, by the neck. "Beginner's luck."

Marcus took the guitar, zipping it back into it's case. He politely denied Adam when the doofus asked for a try, and excused himself to run the guitar back to the music room. Then the attention turned to her.

"So . . ." Leo was the first one to break the ice. "You guys are siblings? And you've been homeschooled this entire time?"

"Yeah," Tory nodded, setting on the lower part of the bench thing and slinging her pack beside her. "First year of public school." Cue sarcastic fist pump. "Yay."

Chase sat down beside her, on the other side so he wouldn't be next to Adam's shoes. Strategic. "Yay?"

"What were you expecting?" She raised her hands, palms out. And cue the jazz hands. "Whee!"

"Whee?" That was Leo. Adam was just looking confused. As usual.

"Well, what were you expecting me to say? That this cesspool sucks and I should go back home?"

"Well . . ." Chase shrugged. "Maybe not phrased like that, but . . ." she couldn't help but note that he turned to face her. "There's some really good parts too."

The two of them jerked to face Leo as said boy cleared his throat. "Okaaaay then," he drawled.

Tory opened her mouth, and so did Chase, but they shared another glance. Immediately, any and all and any idea of all words died in her throat. Thankfully, she was saved by Marcus (again), or rather, his impeccable timing.

"Close your mouth Tory," Marcus had that stupid freaking smirk, his hands resting comfortably in his back pockets. "You look like a goldfish."

"So does Chase!" Adam piped up excitedly. "You know I used to have a goldfish but I killed it with my-" He yelped as Chase reached behind Tory, smacking his brother on the leg. "Magnifying glass!"

Leo's eyes had bugged out again. So had Chase, but not nearly as wide or as comical. Adam looked a little smug, like he saved something major. Marcus and Tory didn't exchange a glance this time, didn't need to. They were onto something major like sharks and blood in the water, so they did the obvious thing: they played it off. Translation: they ignored it. Or pretended to.

"So you want to grab seats?" Chase could play casual pretty well, Tory noticed. He took them to a different direction, a whole other subject. Props to him.

"Seats for what?" Tory asked. Sure, she could roll with this.

"Lunch," he turned back to Tory, with no trace of his usual smug superiority. "I have free hour and lunch back to back, and I'm pretty sure all of us do. Most people grab seats before the lunch rush."

"Sounds good," Marcus had no problem replying for Tory. "Sucks for the people who don't have free hour before lunch though."

Tory shrugged. "Sucks for them. Better them than us. I'm starving!"

The girl didn't miss Leo's narrowed eyes as they picked their table and settled in their seats.

* * *

**Wow! We hit 10 reviews! The support you guys are giving me is amazing, and I can't thank you enough.**

**Also, before I get into replies, I want to say that for my updating schedule, I'm going to shoot for every other week, so I hope I can guarantee two chapters in a month at the minimum, but life happens.**

**RissaA15: Thanks for pointing it out for me, I really can tell between hazel and brown, haha.**

**TheMichiganWriter: We should start a club then, t-shirts are five bucks XD**

**HawiianChick12: Thank you!**

**PolarWolf13: Did you mean interesting or uninteresting? I kind of couldn't tell. I was contemplating making Tory bionic when I was planning out her character. Depending on how the story progresses, we'll see what happens, but I'm sure you'll find it pretty shocking ;)**

**daphrose: Thank you! I'm thinking of making it more serious than how it's portrayed on TV, because if this was a real drama type thing, I'm sure it would get a lot darker, and it did with the third season. As for the swearing, I'm trying it out, seeing how it would mesh with the characters. I'd be pretty unrealistic to not have teen characters not swear, ever. I don't plan on excessively dropping in bombs though.**

**Rock on guys, see you next chapter!**


	4. Heavy Lies the Lie

**Yeah . . . so about that schedule. Updates will definitely be spotty from here on out, so sorry! I have a major science competition coming up that I need to prepare for, so wish me luck!**

**So this chapter is a lot shorter, but there's a lot of Chase/Tory in it, I swear! I should start thinking of a ship name. Chory, anyone? **

* * *

It was almost like they were split down the middle. It was Tory and Marcus, then Chase and Adam. Somehow, Leo got caught somewhere in the line. Bree wasn't showing up, and Chase explained to the others that she didn't eat with her siblings all the time. The group managed to snag a table for themselves.

Tory spaced out, staring at the light amount of homework listed on her planner. She didn't hate it; she supposed it gave her something other than recon, but givenn her list of advanced classes, she figured she wasn't going to be looking forward to the mountain she would have to endure every night. And she definitely wouldn't be this lucky every night. Maybe she could get her dad to get Marcus to go on more missions. Or maybe she could get him to do her homework . . .

The girl jolted out of her thoughts as Marcus pinched her shoulder. He was out of his hard plastic chair while Adam and Chase were talking to each other at the lunch line. Talking might be a strong word, since Adam was oogling over the choices he must've seen a crapton of times over, and probably babbling over dumb theories of their origins. Chase was rolling his eyes, clearly alternating between telling him off, correcting him, and ignoring him. Once he got his tray, he busied himself with putting the probably questionable stuff neatly on his tray.

Tory scanned the lunch room, going with the old "stretching the neck" ruse. "I don't see Dooley." She muttered, keeping Chase's super hearing in mind. Out of the corner, she saw Marcus scan the room himself, then nodded in confirmation.

"Let's get lunch," he said. "Before all the good stuff's gone."

There were two ways that could've been interpreted. One: before annoying Dooley waltzes back. Tory knew that kid was gonna be trouble. Whether he was going to be an obstacle was a whole other story. It was lunch time, and it was prime time for socializing. It shouldn't be hard to poke and prod for info. Unless Leo was around.

As for Marcus's other meaning, he could've very well hve been sarcastic.

Again with the overthinking! _Get yourself together Henderson!_

She grabbed a hard plastic tray. If was probably made from the same stuff as the chairs. She honestly would not have been surprised if they were made from the leftovers of the chairs, or if the chairs were made from the leftovers of the trays. Freaking school budgets: fancy sports equipment, but have school lunches with expiration dates that were erased and rewritten a thousand times over. Way to prioritize.

There was white slop she supposed were mashed potatoes, stiff cardboard passing off as some sort of meat, and a sorry looking selection of milk and juice in the giant cooler. She opted for the chocolate-skim was already disgusting, and there was know way her taste buds would accept skim milk from the school.

She settled back to the table. Marcus was readily answering questions from both Chase and Adam (though mostly Chase) while stabbing at his potatoes. She let her brother take the lead, although she wondered why Marcus wasn't seizing the opportunity with Dooley absent.

"So me, my sister and my Dad moved around a lot." Marcus was saying when she finally tuned back in. "We were homeschooled for most of our lives."

"No way!" Adam grinned excitedly. "So were we! We are so similar-" he pointed his knife at Marcus suddenly. "Do you have a third nipple too?"

Tory choked on her meat. "I don't even know what to say to that." She muttered.

Marcus nodded, an eyebrow raised in something akin to shock. Or disgust. She couldn't quite find the word. He slowly shook his head.

"_Anyway_," Chase interjected, rubbing a spot on his chest. He fumbled for a split second for something to change the subject. "That's a pretty sweet guitar you got Marcus."

"Thanks. And you're a natural bro," His head perked up like he had an epiphany. "Guys, I've got an idea! We should start a band!"

Tory hid a smirk behind a mouthful of carrots. She really had to give credit to her brother. The both of them could think on their feet, although Tory was more comfortable in the field than undercover, and Marcus could do both.

"Aw, that's a great idea!" Adam started drumming the table with his plastic fork and knife. "But what would I play?"

Tory looked up, raising an eyebrow. She couldn't help but lock eyes with Chase, who was wearing a similar expression.

"Ooh! I got it!" He raised his hands, makeshift drumsticks in hand. His face crinkled. ". . . Don't got it."

It was Marcus that beat her to it. "I think you're gonna be out drummer, Adam."

"Hm, interesting choice. I've been pondering the French horn."

The black-haired girl let her bangs cover her eyes as Leo plopped down next to Adam. _Gosh dangit. _

"Hey Leo!" Chase greeted. "Guess what? Marcus, Adam and I are starting a band!"

"Well . . ." He had a nervous laugh. Tory hoped he wouldn't ask to join. "You guys just met. Don't you think it's a little soon?"

Chase scoffed. "Too soon for what? Taking the deeply committed step of jamming together."

Tory pressed her lips into a thin line as she watched the exchange unfold. Marcus was good, although gutsy, she had to admit. Marcus had the same expression on his face.

"Now, if we could just find somewhere to practice. Tory and I live in a pretty small place so . . ."

_Very gutsy._

"Oh, I know a place." Adam got off his chair, standing and walking over to the gap between Chase and Marcus. "The lab."

The effect was immediate: Chase jolted, banging the table, while Leo coughed into his fist. Both were staring at Adam owlishly, attention focused on him.

Tory smirk. Too easy.

"Oh!" Realization dawned on Adam as he scrambled to cover his mistake. "Lab . . . rador retriever park! Yeah, the dog park! Nice acoustics, plus they have dogs." He turned over his shoulder at the other two siblings. "_Saved it._"

"Well, you know Marcus," Chase jumped right in, probably hoping to turn attention away from the debacle. Tory had to wonder if they were trained on what was classified and what wasn't. In all honesty, she doubted it. It was stupid on Davenport's part. "You know, we have a pretty big place. We could just jam there."

As quickly as Adam dropped the ball, and Chase picked it up, Leo jumped right in for a steal. "Whoa, whoa, hold your horses cowboy!" He got up from his hair, pointing an accusing finger towards Marcus. In a few strides, he grabbed Chase and Adam, dragging them a bit by their shirts a couple feet away from the table. She had to admit, it wasn't hard to strain to hear their conversation. "Chase, do you really think it's a good idea to let a total stranger into our _very_ private home?"

"That's okay guys!" Marcus got up too. "We don't _have _to jam." Tory watched as his voice became shaky, watching back and forth between him and the Davenports. Interesting tennis match, she had to admit. "It's not like I need a bright spot in his otherwise horrible life!"

As he dropped back into his chair like a sack of flour, Tory took that as her cue to put her arm around him: the twins connected at the hip. She leveled a pretty heavy glare at Dooley, gaze flicking to Chase.

"Look Leo, you're making him feel bad. Don't worry Marcus, we can practice at my house later. Come on over. Tory too."

Almost immediately, the shaking and crying stopped, and Tory dropped her arm. "Great guys! See you after school."

He left the cafeteria immediately.

Tory gave the boys what she hoped was an apologetic look. "Sorry about him. He's just . . . we're just . . ." she shrugged. Dooley was suspicious, as suspected, his eyes narrowed slightly. Adam and Chase were sympathetic.

She gathered her stuff and left, without even cleaning up her tray.

She didn't miss Dooley's reedy voice. "You guys are making a big mistake."

One glance at the map, and she headed straight to history. She probably got as far as the science hall before she heard someone calling her name. She stopped, and turned. In retrospect, definitely not a good idea, as she almost got trampled by juniors headed to AP Chem.

It was Chase, and after she regained her footing and sent some apologetic looks in vague directions, she stopped close to the wall, and he followed her.

"What's up?" It was simple, and to the point. She had her backpack slung over her shoulders, textbook clutched to her chest. She didn't feel like she and Marcus were exposed yet, so why was she nervous?

"Sorry about my brother Leo," he laughed nervously. "I know you guys are kind of having a tough time adjusting."

Tory smiled. "Thanks. Like Marcus said before, we move around a lot. You'd think we'd get better at adjusting to being new . . ." She shrugged.

Chase shoved his hands into his pockets. "Yeah. Hopefully you won't be moving again." He blanched a bit. "I mean . . . so you won't be moving again. Since moving's hard work and all that. And then adjusting." He shut his mouth abruptly. "Sorry . . . you should be getting to class."

Tory nodded, pressing her lips into something between a thin line and a small smile. "Yeah."

"Soooo . . ." he seemed unsure for the first time in his life. "See you after school, I guess?"

Tory nodded again, the image of a bobble head doll flashing through her mind. "Yeah . . . I'll probably be juggling homework too, so I might not be paying attention to the practice."

Chase shrugged, rubbing the back of his neck. "You're in some pretty advanced stuff right? I could help you out . . . if you need it, you know."

Tory's mouth split into a grin, and she definitely didn't do it on purpose. It wasn't calculated, it wasn't thought out. It just happened. "Thanks. I . . . yeah, thanks! I'll totally keep that in mind."

Dear god, what was happening to her? The words just spilled out, and she found herself completely at ease. Another nod to Chase, and she headed to history, with that smile still stuck on her face.

It was something Marcus definitely noticed as she walked in.

* * *

**Guest: Thinking about what? Wait what? I'm so confused DX Sorry.**

**daphrose: Yeah, the canon will be involved from here on out. It's going to be a few episodes, split into several parts, and probably breaks in between those. It'll be for the sake of exploring her character and her relationships with canon characters.**

**See you guys next chapter. Rock on!**


End file.
